


Is This A Dream?

by JS Jamesbrooke (Jaywriter)



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-02 04:12:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2799110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaywriter/pseuds/JS%20Jamesbrooke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“She’s going to wake up. She has to wake up.” Except she didn’t. Calzona Three-shot</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally a new story for you! I've been a) lacking motivation and b) working slowly on a Once Upon A Time/Swan Queen fic.
> 
> Anyway this is a short one, only 3 chapters and it's all finished so I'll put the next part up in a day or two. It's one I've had in my head for a long time though so I finally got around to writing it. Hope you enjoy!

**Part 1**

" _She's going to wake up. She has to wake up."_

_Except she didn't._

A loud buzzing sound startled Arizona from a restless sleep. With a groan she reached a slender hand out from under the covers and smacked her bedside table until she came in contact with the annoying device. With a hard slap, she shut the alarm off but knocked it to the floor in the process.

She forced herself to roll over and push the covers down to her waist. Arms reached out as she stretched out the kinks from the night. All the while her brain was trying to remember why she'd set the alarm in the first place. She knew it was her day off and in her tired state she couldn't seem to remember her reason.

"Mommy, you awake?" a little voice yelled from the other side of her bedroom door. The little girl didn't wait for an answer, however. Instead the little brunette pushed the door open crawled up onto the big bed.

Now it all came back to her why she'd set the alarm. "Good morning, sweet girl," she smiled as she pulled the little girl onto her lap and placed a kiss in the dark hair. "Are you super excited about today?" she asked with excitement.

Dark curls bobbed up and down as Sofia nodded her head. "I can't wait," the girl giggled.

Arizona smiled to see her daughter so excited about something. The girl hadn't had a whole lot of joy in her life and she only hoped she'd at least have fun today. "Well then we better get you dressed so you can have breakfast."

Sofia scooted off the bed and stood facing her mother. With hands on her hips, "I dress by myself," she stated. She had decided this morning she was a big girl now and big girls dressed themselves.

Arizona tried not to laugh at the independent gleam in her child's eye. The same eyes that look so like her other mother's sending a ping to Arizona's heart. "Alright munchkin, you go get dressed and I'll head downstairs to make you breakfast. Yell if you need any help."

She hated that her girl was getting older but there really wasn't anything she could do to stop it. She'd vowed long ago though to let her daughter set her own pace with things. With Sofia being born 17 weeks early, she never wanted her baby to feel like she was rushing her faster than she needed to go.

She followed the girl out of the bedroom, but then parted ways as she headed for the stairs. They'd already laid out Sofia's clothes for the day, so all she had to do was put them on. With a small bounce in her step, she practically flew off the last step and skipped over the landing on her way towards their small kitchen.

They'd moved into this house around Sofia's second birthday. She hated to move out of the apartment that she'd shared with Callie for so long, but an apartment was no place to raise a child. Sofia needed a backyard to run around in.

Pouring the pancake batter onto the stove, she went off into a daydream of how things could have been if everything had happened differently. She wondered what her life would be like if some of the events that happened five years ago had a different outcome. She loved Sofia exactly as she was and wouldn't trade the joy the little girl had brought into her life for anything in the world. And being born prematurely certainly factored into the little person that was upstairs.

"Mommy, I can't get my shoes on," Sofia pouted and startled her mother out of her wandering thoughts.

Arizona threw a smile over her shoulder at her daughter. "Just a second, baby. Let me get these pancakes off the stove so they don't burn first."

"I not a baby, I a big girl now," Sofia whimpered and stomped her foot, but that was the end of her complaint. Arizona stifled a laugh, knowing it would only get more of a reaction of to her daughter.

With the last of the pancakes moved over onto a plate, Arizona set the stack down on the table before turning to her daughter. She gave the girl a grin as she squatted down in front of her and adjusted her little jeans so they weren't so twisted on her small waist. Then she helped her turn her shirt around so it wasn't on backwards. She didn't comment on it, knowing it would only upset Sofia.

She lifted the girl up and sat her down on her chair and then put both shoes on the little girl's feet. Instantly she knew what the problem with the shoes had been. The velcro had come out of its hole making it so Sofia couldn't do it. "Now hurry up and eat. We need to leave soon if we want to get there on time," Arizona instructed.

Sofia turned to the table and waited for her mom to cut up her pancakes before she dug into her plate. "Can we go see Mama first?" Sofia asked quietly before taking a sip of her apple juice.

Arizona dropped her fork down onto her plate and tried not to let the emotion show on her face. She should have known Sofia would want to see Callie before, but she hadn't given it a thought. There was no way they could make a trip to the hospital and back again in time. "Sorry, sweetie, we don't have enough time. We still have to brush your hair all pretty. You want to look beautiful for your first day of kindergarten don't you?" she tried instead, hoping Sofia would drop it.

"But I want Mama to see my new outfit," Sofia pouted.

"How about this, we'll take some pictures before we leave the house and then we can show them to Mama after school?" the blonde negotiated instead.

"Ok," Sofia whispered sadly.

By the time Arizona had managed to get her daughter's thick hair under control and into a cute little braid, and a few pictures taken by the door, they were rushing out to the car in a hurry. By the time they'd pulled Queen Anne Elementary they had little more than ten minutes left before class started.

Arizona pulled on her daughter's little hand lightly trying to rush her down the hallway towards her classroom. She breathed a sigh as they walked through the doorway to the right room.

"Well, who do we have here?" A kind woman asked who appeared to be Sofia's teacher.

Arizona smiled at the woman and laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins," she greeted and held out a hand out to the other woman. "And this is my daughter, Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres," she introduced.

The young woman bent down to be eye level with the five-year-old. "Well hi there Sofia. I'm Mrs. Whistler," the teacher greeted.

"Hi," Sofia whispered shyly.

Mrs. Whistler straightened herself and look back at the girl's mother. "Nice to meet you both."

"Yes, I'm sorry we didn't make it last week for the Kindergarten Round-up," Arizona apologized. "I got pulled into a surgery that went on longer than I had anticipated."

"It's quite alright," Mrs. Whistler quickly dismissed. "You're a surgeon then?"

"She's the bestest. Mommy makes all the kids better," Sofia piped up proudly.

The teacher smiled. Hearing the little girl talk about her mother she suddenly recalled reading the notes in this little girl's information packet. She sent the mother a sympathetic smile. "How about I show you were you can put your stuff and where your desk is?" she asked, changing the subject.

She quickly took the mother and daughter on a short tour around the room, careful of all the other kids roaming about room. She knew she needed to start settling them down for class, but she wanted to make sure Sofia was settled first. Once she'd shown the mother and daughter where Sofia's desk was, she wandered away to round up the other kids.

Arizona bent down and helped Sofia get all her supplies organized in her desk. She made sure everything was just the way her girl wanted it before she stood up. She gave her daughter a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll pick you up after school, okay?"

"Not Jenny? No work?" Sofia asked curiously.

"Not today," Arizona smiled. "Jenny will probably be picking you up most days, but I took today off just for you." Jenny was Sofia's nanny. She was a college student who wanted the job for a little extra cash. Sofia usually went to day care while Jenny was in class but afterwards the teenager picked her up and they spent the afternoon and sometimes evening together so Sofia wasn't stuck in day care all day. "See you in a few hours."

Arizona slowly backed out of the room waiting to see Sofia's reaction. The girl didn't seem to have a care in the world so she just turned away, holding tears back herself. She knew it was stupid, her daughter had been in day care. But kindergarten meant her little girl was growing up. She didn't like it.

**~CA~**

After driving around the city for a while, Arizona pulled into the parking lot of a small office building. Making an appointment today was probably a good idea. She had some things she needed to talk about.

She had started seeing the therapist shortly before Sofia had come home from the hospital. She knew with the accident she was depressed and feeling guilty. She needed to be better for the baby that would depend on her. So she'd bitten the bullet and found someone to talk to who wasn't associated with their hospital.

"How are we doing today, Arizona?" the older woman asked as Arizona took a seat on the couch she'd become far too familiar with.

"A little anxious today, Becky," Arizona answered honestly. She learned a long time ago to be straightforward with the woman she now could almost consider a friend. It did nobody any good to hold in her feelings. "Sofia started school today."

"Ah, yes. We talked a few weeks ago about whether you believed she was ready for it or not," Becky recalled.

Arizona nodded and laid her head on the back of the couch. "I'm still worried, but she's mostly caught up to the other kids her age so I think she'll be fine."

"You're just not sure you're ready," Becky teased, but there was a hint of truth in her words. Arizona would never be ready to let her little girl go. Especially when you considered the circumstances.

"Exactly. I wish Callie could have been with me today," she said sadly. "I miss her," she whispered, though she didn't need too.

"And how is she this week?" Becky asked, moving the conversation forward.

"She's still here. But she's not here and that's what really hurts."

The two woman spent the next hour getting all of emotions out of the blonde. She was feeling so much and she wasn't sure what more she could take. They parted ways with a tight hug, something Becky had taken to doing at the end of each session. Arizona needed that little bit of physical connection to help her deal with her emotions as she left the office.

**~CA~**

By the time Arizona had made it back to Sofia's school, she'd managed to put a smile on her face again. The joy on her face was honest as she saw her little girl running her way as students piled out of the building. She kneeled down and opened her arms as Sofia ran right into them.

"Mommy!" Sofia squealed.

"Hi, Princess. Did you have a good day?"

"I made a new friend and I colored a picture and I learned all about the letter 'A,'" Sofia rambled. She continued to relay every moment since Arizona had left her she got her buckled into her booster seat. She was still talking as Arizona slid behind the driver's seat.

"Are we going to see Mama now?" Sofia asked, taking a break from talking about her day.

Arizona gave a sad smile into the rear view mirror. "If that's what you want."

Sofia nodded and continued with her story. Arizona couldn't believe Sofia could have that much to talk about after only half a day of school, but it seemed the little girl was on a roll. And she definitely got her rambling from Arizona.

They pulled into the hospital parking lot and Arizona parked in her assigned space. Walking through the halls all the nurses and doctors waved at the little brunette. There wasn't a member on staff here that didn't know who Sofia was. By the time they'd reached the long-term care hallway, the emotions in Arizona built up again.

Sofia was feeling none of those emotions, however. Without any fear, the girl pushed her way into room 3012 and climbed on the bed next to her Mama and began repeating her day. Arizona could only stand in the doorway and watch as their little girl talked to her unconscious mother. The machines showing no sign that anything had changed since their last visit.

Callie was still lost to her coma, just as she had been for the last five and a half years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry guys didn't mean to take this long to update. The holidays got away from me. Anyway here it is finally!

**Part 2**

Pushing herself away from the door, Arizona took small steps as she made her way around Callie's bed. Just as she did on every visit, she took a seat on Callie's right side and pulled her girlfriend's cool hand between her own. And each time she sent up a wish to whoever was listening that the other woman would wake soon.

Some days she couldn't believe that this is what her life had become. She had to take a step back and process it. The woman who never wanted children before had ended up the single parent to the most precious little girl in all the world. She wouldn't trade Sofia for anything, but she desperately missed having Callie by her side.

Mark had been around at first, helping take some of the load off of Arizona. But as the months went by and Callie didn't appear to be waking anytime soon, he tried to talk Arizona into moving her to a care facility. He found it too hard to have the other woman so nearby but not really there.

Arizona, on the other hand, wouldn't even entertain the idea. If something happened, she wanted to be nearby. And because Arizona had power of attorney of all of Callie's medical needs, Mark couldn't do anything about it.

So as they headed into their fourth month of a sleeping Callie, Mark had decided to leave the hospital. The guilt and the misery being too much for him to bare. But he also knew that if he tried to take Sofia away from Arizona and Callie did wake up then there would be hell to pay. So he'd left quietly one night, leaving all guardianship to Arizona as he flew back to New York.

He hadn't been gone long when it was decided that Sofia was doing well enough that she could go home. Arizona had never felt more worry in her life then she had that first night. She didn't believe she got even a wink of sleep. Every moment was staring at the beautiful little girl nestled in the bassinet beside her bed.

She had been so used to spending every moment not working between Callie's room and the NICU that it was almost uncomfortable to be back home in her own bed. But she couldn't keep the baby at the hospital any longer than necessary.

Over the last five years they would occasionally have a 'sleepover' and stay the night in Callie's room. Especially for special occasions like the other woman's birthday and such. It was probably a good thing that Sofia had come into their lives. Without her, Arizona would probably be spending every night in the hospital.

It took her a moment to realize the inane chatter of her daughter had stopped. Looking towards the bed, she smiled at the scene before her. Sofia had fallen asleep atop of her other mother, her little head resting comfortably on Callie's stomach. Pulling her cell phone out, Arizona quickly snapped a picture and sent it to her parents and to Carlos.

A few people over the years had suggested Arizona try to move on. That it wasn't healthy for her to stay so attached to Callie when there was little indication that the other woman would ever wake up. But Arizona just couldn't do it. Looking down at the new picture of her two loves, both lost to sleep, she couldn't see her life with anyone else. Callie had given her the most precious gift, a daughter, and for that she would stay by Callie's side for as long as she possibly could. She loved her too much not too.

**~CA~**

"Sofia, dinner!" Arizona yelled up the stairs later that night. The blonde had let the little girl take a small nap with her other mother, but then woke her up so that they could run a few errands before settling in for the night.

As soon as they had gotten home, Sofia had ran upstairs to play with her toys. "Claiming she'd missed them so much," during her first day of kindergarten. Arizona just bit her laugh to keep from laughing. Sofia could be so dramatic when she wanted to be. Something that always seemed to amuse her mother.

When no response came from the little girl, Arizona trudged up the stairs. It wasn't unusual for Sofia to get so wrapped up in her own head that she didn't hear someone calling for her. Part of that trait terrified Arizona, worried that someday Sofia would be so wrapped up inside her head she wouldn't notice when something bad was about to happen. Another part of her was pleased that her little girl had such an amazing imagination. It was fun to watch the ideas break free.

The door to Sofia's room was closed all but a crack, so Arizona pushed it open and leaned on the doorjamb. Arms came up to fold over her chest and a smirk came out to play as she watched the five-year-old 'read' a story to her stuff animals, who were sat around in a semi-circle around her.

Arizona could only imagine that 'School' would be Sofia's number one pretend game now.

"Sofia, sweetheart. Time for dinner," she called a little softer this time, waiting for the little girl to notice her presence.

Sofia quietly closed her book and stood up. She gently placed the book down on her bed, ever careful of her favorite stories. "What we havin, mommy?" she asked as she walked beside her mother.

The little Latina was, for the most part, a pretty good kid. She almost always did what was asked of her and followed all the rules. She wasn't anything like the little fireball Arizona had been as a child. She was sure Callie was just as much of a little hair raiser as Arizona was, so she couldn't figure out where Sofia's mild temperament came from. Maybe it was simply there was so much going on in her head, it slowed down the rest of her.

"You're favorite. Spaghetti," Arizona answered her. "With corn, and salad."

"Salad is yucky," Sofia gagged as she hopped down the stairs one-by-one.

"Yes, but it'll make your bones grow big and strong. Plus, if you want ice cream for dessert, you better eat the salad."

"Fine," Sofia drawled. One tiny foot stepped up on the bottom rung of the chair while two arms pulled her body into a sitting position. She still wasn't quite tall enough for her feet to reach the floor once she was sitting, but she hoped she would be someday soon.

Arizona first filled a plate for her daughter and then one for herself. Taking a seat adjacent to the little girl, she made a show about how much she enjoyed all of her food, including the salad.

Sofia rambled on endlessly as the two of them took bites off their plate. Arizona listened animated as the talkative child once again relayed her day as if it was the first time. When Sofia was excited about something it tended to be the only thing she could talk about.

There was a pang in her heart as she saw facial expressions on the child that reminded her so much of her lover. Sofia was in every way a mini Callie. She was grateful to have this one small piece of the woman she loved.

Long after Sofia had been bathed and read to sleep, Arizona laid next to the little girl, running her hands through the thick mane of dark hair. Everything about this child was so precious. From her smile, to her laugh, and even her tears. There wasn't a single part of the child that Arizona didn't love. She never thought she could be a good mother. But every inch of the girl before filled her with maternal love.

As her eyes began to droop, Arizona briefly though about moving to her own bed. In the end, she burrowed herself more fully on her daughter's bed and fell asleep to the sound of the girl's gentle snore.

**~CA~**

After finishing a successful surgery, Arizona headed towards the attending's lounge with a small spring in her step. Days like today always made her feel good about herself and her decision to become a doctor. A little boy had been admitted just a few days prior with several tumors around his stomach and intestines. It was still in the early stages and she had managed to remove every single last piece.

Breezing over to the coffee pot, she poured herself a cup of the almost fresh drink and plopped down onto the soft couch next to her protégé. "Totally rocked my surgery," she bragged as she bumped shoulders with Alex.

"Got all the tumors then?" He asked. Although he was no longer technically her student, he did enjoy hearing about her surgeries and finding out if there was anything he could still learn from her.

"Yep. All five of them."

"Way to go Robbins," he high-fived her.

Before too much of a celebration could happen, Bailey walked into the lounge with a somber look on her face. "Arizona, do you have some time to talk?"

Arizona was already mentally backing away at the question. If it related to a patient, Bailey wouldn't have called her by her first name. She was about to open her mouth and say she didn't have the time right then, but the look on Bailey's face told her it was going to happen whether she liked it or not.

"Dr. Karev, will you keep an eye on Dr. Robbins' patients for a while?" Bailey asked the man in the room.

"Why does he need to look after my patients?" Arizona was almost at a panic now, but she wouldn't let it show.

Bailey held up a hand towards Arizona to shush her. "Will you?" she asked Alex again, needing an answer. He nodded his head, but he was also curious what this was all about.

Without a word Bailey walked out of the room, expecting Arizona would know to follow. The two women walked down the halls in silence and boarded the elevator. As each step drew them closer, Arizona became more fearful about what was going to happen next. Impulse told her to run the other direction as they stepped off the elevator.

Before she could even take two steps in the opposite direction, however, Bailey grabbed a hold of her lab coat and pulled her closer and closer to Callie's room. Whatever the shorter woman had to say, she didn't want to hear it. If Callie was awake there wouldn't be need for all the silence and somber moods. Which could only mean one thing.

Bailey gently nudged the blonde into her girlfriend's room and walked the two of them over to the machine that displayed her current stats.

"Sweetie, I know you don't want to, but you have some hard decisions to make," Bailey started out gently.

"No, no, no. She's fine. She's gonna wake up. I just know it," Arizona denied quickly. She couldn't even allow herself to entertain the possibility of something being wrong.

Bailey laid a comforting hand on Arizona's forearm. "I think we both know that's not true. Her stats have started to drop."

"They've changed a little bit," Arizona agreed. "But they haven't really dropped that much," she argued.

Bailey opened Callie's chart and showed Arizona where Callie had been only a week before. "Honey, I know it's hard. But her body has started to shut down. It's not fair to keep her going like this."

"You're wrong. She's fine. She's going to be fine. She's going to wake up and we're going to get married and Sofia will have her Mama. Everything is going to be fine." At this point she wasn't even talking to Bailey anymore. She was trying to convince herself that this wasn't happening.

Callie had been fine just a week ago when they had come to visit after Sofia's first day of school. She couldn't have changed that drastically in a week. Her brain just wouldn't believe it.

They were meant to raise their little girl together.

"Arizona, please think about it. I don't like the idea either. Callie is my friend too. But you have to think about what's best for her. You need to decide if it's time to let her go."

And with that Arizona's whole world just crashed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright and here is the final piece of the story.

**Part 3**

"No, please. Please tell me you're wrong. Bailey, please," Arizona begged. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for this at all. She had spent all these years with hope that someday Callie would wake up. She didn't want to let that go.

Bailey turned sad eyes to her friend lying there on the bed before looking back at Arizona. She did the one thing she always said she didn't do and pulled the blonde into her arms. "I know it hurts, but you need to let her go. Don't let her suffer."

"I can't. I can't," Arizona responded as she pulled herself away from Bailey. "I can't do this."

Before Bailey could attempt to stop her, Arizona was running out of the room and down the hall. She had informed the chief beforehand of the need to speak with Arizona, so he was already aware the other woman would probably be done working for the day. He'd already approved some time off for her, so Bailey just let her friend go, knowing there was little she could do to comfort her now.

**~CA~**

Arizona wasn't sure where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get as far away from the hospital as possible. She couldn't stay there and know that Callie was slowly dying before her eyes.

So instead she ran. She flew out the ER doors and kept on going down the street. She pushed her way past people and kept on going. Nothing was going to stop her. There was only one place she could think of to go right then, only one place her mind was telling her to find.

The path was mostly deserted so she made her way easily down the concrete slabs. Her feet slowed as she began up the hill, but her motivation never wavered. By the time she reached the top of the incline she was losing her breath. She bent over at the hips and gave herself a few moments to allow the air to fill her lungs once again before crashing on the wooden bench that overlooked the city.

This was the only place that could begin to lessen the pain in her heart. The one place that at times she could swear she could still feel Callie there with her.

"Where are you Callie?" she asked the wind. "Why are you leaving me? Don't you know that I can't be without you? These last five years have been tough, but at least you were still there. Please don't make me make this choice. I don't think I can do it. I can't let you go.

"And what about Sofia? She needs her Mama," Arizona bargained. "She hasn't known any other life but this one. What am I supposed to tell her when you're gone? I can't bear to see that sad look in her eyes knowing that we will never see you again."

Arizona sniffled as the tears rained down her cheeks. There was no sign of her signature dimples today, as the pain inside her made it impossible for them to appear. "How am I supposed to go on without her? Please don't take her from me," she begged anyone who would listen. "Callie is the love of my life. It took running away to Africa to realize that and I'll spend my life proving my love for her, but I can't do that if she's gone."

Time ceased to exist as she sat upon that bench working through every thought within her mind. She wasn't sure where to go from here, what she could do from this moment on. She never thought she'd have to have to think of a future without Callie in it. This wasn't supposed to happen."

**~CA~**

She wasn't sure how long she'd been gone, but the sun had set long before Arizona finally stood up and wandered back out of the small park. As much as she wanted to stay there all night and forget the world, she knew she couldn't do that. Not to Sofia, never to Sofia. So instead she made her way back to the hospital to retrieve her car and make her way home.

As soon as she stepped through her front door, Jenny, Sofia's nanny, instantly knew something was not right. She'd seen a lot of moods come from the blonde the last few years, but she'd never seen that look in her eyes.

"I need to make a couple calls. Are you good to stick around for a little longer? Depending on how things go, I may even need you to stay the night," Arizona asked softly, no emotion left in her voice.

"Of course," Jenny agreed quickly. She was forever grateful for this job, Arizona paid her more than she probably needed to just so that Jenny could get through college without any outstanding loans. She'd do anything to repay that.

Arizona only nodded that she heard before making her way down the hallway and into the small study, closing the door behind her. She had two calls to make, and she wasn't sure how she could get through either one of them.

She desperately wanted to call her parents first, to feel the sense of comfort she knew they'd offer her, but she knew she needed to speak with someone else first. It wouldn't be right to do it the other way. So as she picked up her phone, she dialed the familiar number, feeling the dread with each push of the button.

"Hi, Carlos. It's Arizona…"

**~CA~**

After talking to Carlos and her own parents, all promising to be there as soon as they could, Arizona was thoroughly drained. And yet there was still one person she needed to talk to, and this one was going to be the hardest one of all.

When she finally left the study, the house was quiet of any noise downstairs. Which she took to mean Jenny had probably taken Sofia up to get ready for bed. The girl definitely deserved a bonus, or a raise, or maybe both.

Sofia was just about to climb into bed when Arizona entered her room.

"You going to tuck me in mommy?" Sofia asked upon seeing her mother

"Actually munchkin, you and I need to have a talk first," Arizona told her, trying with everything in her to not choke on her words.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Jenny asked.

Arizona reached out and put a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving. "No, stay. You need to know what's going on too." She didn't say it, but Jenny knew that whatever Arizona had to say wasn't going to be easy on her daughter and Jenny needed to be prepared as well.

Arizona sat against the headboard and pulled the little girl onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around her tightly and breathed in the smell that was uniquely Sofia. It was a comfort to her in that moment. She wasn't even sure where to start.

"Sweetheart, you know how mama is sick?"

Sofia nodded her head. "That's why she lives in the hospital, so she can get better and come home."

Arizona felt a pang in her heart at the innocence of her daughter. And how she'd have to now crush that belief that someday they'd be a family like they were always meant to be. "That's right. All the doctors have done everything they could to help your Mama get better, but she's not getting any better. Dr. Bailey told me today she thinks maybe Mama is ready to go live with the angels," Arizona explained, trying to make it as not scary as possible.

"Like Uncle Tim?"

Arizona let out a whimper and pulled Sofia even tighter into a hug. "Yes, sweetie. She's ready to go live with Uncle Tim now."

Sofia knew what that meant. She'd never met her Uncle Tim because the angels lived so far away they couldn't visit. The tears filled her eyes when she thought about never seeing her mama again.

"Your Mama loves you more than anything in the world. There was nothing she wanted more than to have a little girl of her own. She was so happy you finally came to us. I know even when she leaves us, she'll always been watching you, even if we can't see her," Arizona cried. Mother and daughter clung to each other as the tears fell down both their cheeks.

Knowing this was now a private moment and she needed to leave the Robbins girls to grieve, Jenny quietly slipped out of the room.

**~CA~**

It was barely twenty-four hours after Bailey had crushed Arizona's world, when Callie's small hospital room was filled with people. Carlos had immediately scheduled a flight after hanging up with Arizona and picked up the Robbins on the way. Everyone wanted to be there for Callie's final moments.

Arizona hadn't consciously decided to let Callie go, but she couldn't bear to see the woman she loved suffer, not even a little bit. Their parents too, have been expecting this as a possibility in the back of their minds, so as much as it pained them, they all gathered to say goodbye.

The hardest part was Sofia. Arizona didn't bother to send her to school. She called and explained the situation. And while she'd never deny her daughter the chance to say goodbye to her mother, she didn't want her to be in the room when it all ended.

Alex was a saving grace, promising to keep her preoccupied while the rest of the adults kept their attention on the comatose woman on the bed. Sofia cried as she hugged her Mama. Little tears ran down her cheeks and landed on her Mama's blanket. She screamed and cried when Alex finally pulled her out of the room, but he didn't let it deter him, knowing how badly she was hurting.

Each of Callie's colleagues took a turn saying their goodbyes. Those that had been a teacher to her whispered words of how talented she had been. Those that had been her students whispered their thanks for all that they had learned from her.

Barbara and Daniel went next, each pressing a kiss to Callie's face. Whispering words of love and comfort to a woman they'd never really had a chance to know, but still loved for all she'd brought into their lives, including the beautiful grandchild they'd never thought they'd have.

Carlos, much like Arizona had the day before, begged and pleaded for several moments for his daughter to just open her eyes. Give them some small sign that she was still in there. There was no response, however, nothing to give them even a glimmer of hope.

Finally it was Arizona's turn. Knowing this would be the last time she'd have the chance to do it, she kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed beside the woman she loved. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and pressed a kiss into the side of her head. "I love you so much. I hope that wherever you go, you remember that. You'll never know how thankful I am that you gave me a daughter. It was a dream I didn't even know I had and you made it come true. I love you, Calliope Torres."

A silence fell upon the room for several minutes. Each taking the time to gather themselves and let their hearts really say goodbye.

"Are we ready?" Bailey asked softly. While no one actually nodded their consent, no one told her to stop. So she watched each of their eyes as she went through each step to cut off all remaining life support. Their grief in their eyes grew, but their words stayed silent.

The only thing that could be heard in the room for the next half hour was the beeping of the monitor as Callie's vitals slowed down. Arizona watched from the corner of her eye, a part of her still wishing for Callie to just open her eyes, for this to not be the end. So when Bailey called time of death, Arizona lost it.

"No, she can't be gone. Come back, Callie. Please, Calliope. I need you. Sofia needs you. Come back. Come back…"

**~CA~**

"Ari…zo…na…" a labored breath called out. It wasn't enough though, so the voice tried again "Ari…zona," this time the voice was a little stronger. It finally broke through the fog in Arizona's brain.

The blonde's head flew up off the bed. And she tried to figure out what was going on. Last thing she remembered she was laying on the bed, not sitting beside it. And she was crying because Callie was gone. Lost to her forever.

She put a head to her forehead, trying to figure out what was going on. The sting of her finger hitting the cut on her forehead confused her. When did she get a cut?

It was then she noticed the hand in front of her trying to move, to touch her. Her eyes shot along the body, making their way up to the head of the bed. What she found was deep brown eyes looking at her. The head was all bandage up and there were cuts all over her face, but it was Callie and she was alive and awake.

"Yeesss…" Callie tried to talk again.

"Callie?" Arizona all but cried with relief.

"Yesss…" Callie repeated again, but this time stronger.

"What?"

"I'll marry you," Callie finally got out. Her words were hoarse and painful, but it was worth it to see the look on Arizona's face. There was nothing but pure joy there.

Careful not to hurt her, Arizona crawled up on the bed as best as she could and laid beside Callie. "I love you so much," she told her, as tears fell down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Callie croaked out.

Arizona kissed Callie's cheek and laid a hand on the other woman's stomach, wanting to feel her breath as it went up and down. She needed that reassurance right now that everything was alright. "I had the worst dream," she told Callie. She knew now that's what it had been, but it had been so real. Those five years without Callie had felt so real and she could still feel the pain in her heart from saying goodbye.

But it had all been a dream. Seeing the time and date on one of Callie's monitors she knew she must have dozed off sometime after they'd brought Callie up from surgery. "You never woke up. You were in a coma for five years and then Bailey told me I needed to let you go because your body was shutting down. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to lose you. And I didn't know how I could ever raise Sofia without you."

Callie gave her a curious look. "Sofia?"

Arizona smiled. It was only then she realized Callie didn't even know about the baby. "Our daughter."

Callie reached down and put her hand over Arizona's. She realized then she no longer had a baby bump. "We have a daughter?"

Arizona nodded with a smile. "We do. She's one pound, one ounce, but she's alive and she's a fighter. I can tell. And if my dream is anything to go by, at least for her, she's going to make it and she's going to be amazing."

Callie smiled. If Arizona had faith, then she would too. Their daughter was going to make it. "So Sofia huh?" They never could settle on a name before. "I like it," she admitted.

"Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres," Arizona responded with certainty.

As she watched Callie's eyes droop again, the pain meds doing their thing, she couldn't help but smile. It had only been a dream. Callie was still here and so was Sofia. She had her family and she couldn't wait to start a life with the both of them.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes it was all a dream because I didn't have it in me to really kill Callie, but I did like the idea of exploring what it would have been like if Arizona was left raising Sofia.
> 
> I haven't decided yet but I'm thinking about doing a story that's an alternative of this one. I don't want to really say much and give away what I'm thinking. Guess we'll see if my muse decides it likes the idea.


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